


A Matter of Title

by wanderingjedihistorian (RangerJedi67)



Series: Playing in the Soft Wars Sandbox [19]
Category: Star Wars: The Clone Wars (2008) - All Media Types
Genre: Cody has a governing council and he is certain they exist just to torment him, F/M, Fluff and Humor, M/M, Multi, Obi-Wan just wants to marry Cody and doesn't like all this fuss, Quinlan causes chaos with a single conversation, Shebse gonna shebse, Star Wars AU - Soft Wars, This shouldn't surprise anyone but it does, brothers being brothers
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-18
Updated: 2020-08-18
Packaged: 2021-03-06 07:28:25
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,307
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25965883
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RangerJedi67/pseuds/wanderingjedihistorian
Summary: “You know, when you two get married, you’re going to be the husband of a planetary leader,” Quinlan said with a grin. “You’re going to have a title.”Obi-Wan froze like a startled tooka in speeder lights. He had not considered that. He wasn’t sure if any of them had.
Relationships: CC-1138 | Bacara/CT-7567 | Rex/Kit Fisto, CC-2224 | Cody/Obi-Wan Kenobi, CC-5052 | Bly/Aayla Secura, Colt (Star Wars)/Shaak Ti
Series: Playing in the Soft Wars Sandbox [19]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1725601
Comments: 20
Kudos: 345
Collections: Open Source Soft Wars





	A Matter of Title

**Author's Note:**

> This was supposed to be just silly scene about Obi-Wan needing a title. Then it decided to spawn some actual Plot and I found myself figuring out how Cody's government could work. The plot bunnies, y'all. They are the ones actually in charge!
> 
> Many thanks to Evilkillerpoptarts and Shira for betaing!

“You know, when you two get married, you’re going to be the husband of a planetary leader,” Quinlan said with a grin. “You’re going to have a _title._ ” 

Obi-Wan froze like a startled tooka in speeder lights. He had not considered that. He wasn’t sure if any of them had.

The Kiffar Jedi’s laughter echoed across the comm.

“Hadn’t thought about that yet, had you?”

“I admit, I had not. It never came up,” The younger Jedi acknowledged with a grimace.

“For what it’s worth, you’re not the only one who failed to think about it,” Cody’s voice interrupted. Obi-Wan looked up to see his ven’riduur standing in the doorway of his study. “Latemeal is ready, but it’ll keep for a while if you aren’t done.”

“Oh, I think we’re done,” Quinlan said gleefully.

“Yes, we absolutely are. Good night, Quinlan!” Obi-Wan said firmly as he reached for the comm.

The Kiffar was still laughing when the call disconnected.

“I cannot believe I’m saying these words about Quinlan Vos, but he’s right. You’re going to have to have a title, cyare, and we have never even discussed it. To be honest, I’m surprised neither Padme nor Bail brought it up,” Cody admitted.

“Can we please, please, not talk about this until after we eat?” The redhead asked plaintively.

“We can wait and discuss this tomorrow with a few of my brothers if you’d like,” The dark-haired man offered.

Obi-Wan sighed heavily but accepted the inevitable.

“I suppose that is a reasonable offer.”

SWSWSWSWSWSW

Mid-morning the next day they gathered a few others to discuss the situation.

“It was pointed out to us that after we get married, Obi-Wan is going to need a title,” Cody said to open discussions. 

Rex and Bly were in Cody and Obi-Wan’s living room. Ponds, Bail and Padme were on comms.

There was a heartbeat of silence and then…

“HOW DID WE NOT REALIZE THIS!?!” Ponds demanded, tone bordering on a shriek. Fox said something in the background but was too far away to be properly heard. “Shut up, Fox! This is _important._ Be helpful or go find something to do!”

Judging by Ponds’ dramatic sigh, Cody assumed Fox had decided to leave the room.

“I’d assumed it was discussed and decided on already,” Bail admitted a moment later.

“So did I,” Padme agreed. “Or I would have mentioned it.”

“Who brought it up?” Rex asked, curious to know who finally realized.

“Quinlan Vos,” Cody was forced to admit.

Rex frowned heavily.

“I hate everything about that.”

“Trust me, Rex’ika, so do I,” Cody assured. 

Obi-Wan sighed.

“I know neither of you care for Quinlan and I understand why. But he _is_ my friend,” The redhead pointed out.

“And basically my father in law,” Bly grumbled.

“Kot!” Cody and Rex both responded cheerfully.

“You are both my least favorite,” Bly informed them.

Obi-Wan could tell this was going to be a long discussion. Why was it _always_ Taungsdays that were so terrible?

SWSWSWSWSWSW

“Why wasn't I invited to the first meeting?” Wolffe asked as they waited for the rest of the council to finish assembling later that afternoon.

They stood side by side, leaning against one of the walls in the Council room, shoulders pressed close. 

“Would you _actually_ have wanted to sit through this discussion twice?” Cody challenged.

“Absolutely not,” Wolffe answered with a disgusted look.

“That's why,” Cody informed him simply. “I was trying to be _considerate._ ”

Wolffe snorted, but grinned.

“Considerate. Right.”

Cody knew Wolffe wouldn’t have enjoyed dealing with this twice, but he also knew Wolffe absolutely would have done it if Cody asked. He genuinely had meant to spare the other man hours of irritating boredom because he knew his squadmate would have no actual opinion on this subject. Maybe he should have asked him to be there anyway.

“I can promise to torment you with the entirety of the discussion next time something like this comes up,” Cody offered.

Wolffe’s only response was to bump shoulders. Cody knew he was forgiven.

They stood together and waited for the others to start filtering into the room. Cody’s Council was made up of two distinct groups. The first were the representatives of the various Offices they had created to see to all their affairs. These had seen a fair amount of change in the last five years. Cody's first Council had been made up entirely of those close to him. After that first year, things had been more settled and the Vode were ready to make their way out into the galaxy. His Council saw its first shake up then. Since then, none of the Office Representatives had been one of those closest to him. It was a distance he hadn’t realized he needed until he had it. Colt, Davijaan, Jet, Keller, Razor and Stone were the current councilors. 

Colt arrived first. He represented their education and training office. That role had been held by members of Rancor exclusively since it was created. 

“Everything alright?” He asked, pausing just inside the door.

Cody offered a reassuring smile.

“Everything’s fine. I just didn’t want a normal meeting to get bogged down with this. I’ll explain more when everyone is here.”

Colt looked very curious, but he didn’t press, instead heading for his seat.

The largest of the offices, Vode Interior Services, was usually headed up by someone from Lightning or one of Cody’s own Ghosts. VIS covered everything from housing the Littles to monitoring the adoption process to maintaining infrastructure on Concord Dawn. Razor was its current lead and he arrived only two minutes after Colt did, nodding at Cody before heading to his seat. 

Jet had headed the trade office almost from the start, given his significant experience as a supply runner. Winder company quickly built a rapport with the companies that handled supply logistics. As soon as there were trade goods ready to be shipped off CD or goods that needed to be imported, Winder was ready. Cody had always been grateful for that. It also meant he wasn’t surprised when Jet walked in, datapad in hand and a frown on his face.

“I’m sorry if I interrupted anything,” Cody offered.

Jet sighed and offered a shrug.

“Inventorying supply warehouses is hell,” He lamented.

Cody winced.

“I’m sorry. We all appreciate your people’s work,” He reminded the other man.

Jet waved him off and headed for his seat.

“I know. And we all knew what we agreed to do. Doesn’t mean I won’t complain about it!”

“Fair enough,” Cody agreed.

Bly arrived next and took up position on Cody’s other side. There was no hiding his amusement.

“You said this was time sensitive but not an emergency,” Stone announced as he walked into the room and came straight up to Cody. “What couldn’t wait until our scheduled meeting on Benduday?”

Galactic Relations was usually headed by former members of the Coruscant Guard. Stone had been in the position much of the time, and even when he wasn’t in charge of galactic relations, he was on the Council. Stone, like many who had been Guard, viewed things differently than the rest and it was a perspective Cody needed.

“I didn’t want our entire meeting to get derailed by this when I know we have a full schedule as it is. I really hope this will be a short meeting,” Cody told him.

“Based on what Rex told me, I doubt that will happen,” Bacara offered as he moved past them and headed for his place at the table.

Stone groaned.

“Shebse. It’s always the Shebse,” He despaired as he headed to his chair.

“Come on, Stone, you’re just realizing that now?” Waxer teased as he took his own seat.

Wolffe, Bly, Bacara, and Waxer were the second set of Councilors. They didn’t represent offices. They were there because Cody needed them to be. All were willing to challenge him, something that others did sometimes still struggle with. Wolffe and Bly were his squad mates, but they had vowed to always put the needs of the Vode first, even if that meant disagreeing with Cody. In return, Cody had promised to always listen, even if he disagreed with what they had to say. Bacara excelled at keeping them all humbled and once he had gotten comfortable with the idea, never held back his opinion. Waxer, who had served at Cody’s side nearly from the start, was one of his most trusted men. He had taken Cody’s orders to speak his mind seriously. (Cody had asked Doom, once, if he wanted a place on the council. Doom disappeared into the woods and wasn’t seen for a tenday. Cody took that as a no.)

Idly, Cody wondered if Obi-Wan should join his council. His ven’riduur _was_ the head of the Jedi Temple here. They would need to take some level of the Jedi’s affairs into account once it was more firmly established. He sighed. Another matter to add to the list.

The head medics from several battalions had rotated through the position of Director of Medical services over the years. The recently returned Keller was the current head. Bacara was incredibly proud of him. They nodded at one another as Keller took his seat. 

That left just one more person.

“So sorry I’m late!” Davijaan offered as he came bursting through the door five minutes later. “I was in the middle of inspections and overestimated what I could get done before this meeting.”

“It’s fine. I know this was last minute,” Cody reassured. 

Defense of the space around CD was important, even though they had had minimal problems so far. Davijaan had been directly in charge for going on three years. That position had been highly contested as so many of them had experience in commanding squadrons and fleets. Additionally, it had been exceedingly difficult for Cody to let that one go. That’s why Odd Ball ended up with the job; Cody needed it to be someone he personally knew and trusted. 

There were long term plans that would bring more CTs into proper leadership positions. But early on the Commanders had agreed that they would shoulder the major responsibilities for as long as was necessary and none of them were comfortable stepping back entirely. Not yet. Despite the fact they had been independent for five years, there were still many things that were in development and building stages. There were still vode leaving Concord Dawn for educational or work opportunities all the time. And conversely, there were vode who had gone out into the galaxy and decided to come Home. Cody anticipated another big shake up within the offices and therefore his council within a year or two. It would be interesting to watch.

Their intelligence network had no direct representation on the Council. Even though he lived on Corellia, Ponds was the head of vode intelligence. Jesse was his second and his usual presence on Coruscant worked well for that position. Rex didn’t mind one of his men having a secondary role, especially not one he trusted so completely. Hunter and his boys also played a role in intelligence gathering, though far less officially than the others. Ponds addressed the council if his people learned anything important but, on the whole, he stayed out of day to day running of life on CD. He had offered to be on comms for this though. Earlier discussions had narrowed the list down to four potential options. Cody wouldn’t call Ponds back unless the council couldn’t reach a decision.

“I suppose it's time to get this started,” Cody said. “As you all know, Obi-Wan and I are getting married in a few weeks.”

“That is completely new information to me,” Bly deadpanned.

Wolffe cackled. Cody glared at his traitorous squadmates. They were completely unrepentant.

“And that requires a council meeting, why, exactly?” Stone asked, tone incredulous.

“Quinlan Vos of all people pointed out that once Cody and Obi-Wan are married, Obi-Wan should technically have a title. Something neither of them had considered,” Bacara chimed in cheerfully.

Cody should have seen that coming once Bacara said that Rex had filled him in. They respected each other greatly, but there was no denying that Bacara had gotten comfortable enough with Cody over these last few years to enjoy tormenting him like this. 

Every single vod in the room burst out laughing. Cody hated them all. His Councilors were officially the _worst._

“In their defense, it’s not like it occurred to any of us either,” Waxer pointed out a long moment later.

There was a reason he had always been one of Cody’s favorites.

“But considering none of us are the ones marrying Cody, we shouldn’t have had to think about it,” Waxer continued.

Cody really should have seen that coming.

“We’ve narrowed it down to four possibilities,” Bly interjected, bringing things back to focus.

If he kept that up, he might redeem himself in Cody’s eyes before this was over. Bly tapped a few controls and a short list appeared from the holoprojector built into the conference table.

Alor’riduur

Vode’riduur

Vod’alor Consort

Alor’Consort 

“Can I immediately veto Vode’riduur?” Waxer asked. “That makes it sound way too much like he’s marrying all of us. And while I do _like_ my former General, I’m not even remotely interested in marrying him!” 

“Agreed. And I already have a Jedi, thank you,” Colt said with a smirk.

Shaak Ti had settled in wonderfully after Oya Vode. The Littles all adored her on Kamino, so it was no surprise she was still a favorite of theirs now. It was a bit different for those decanted after, but they loved her all the same. And she was fiercely protective of them all. It was a good fit. Rancor as a whole had been glad their Jedi had chosen to be based off of Concord Dawn almost from the start. And Cody would never forget Colt’s happiness at how readily his beloved was accepted by his ‘Alor.

Bacara chimed in with a dry, “Seconding Colt’s statement.”

Cody grinned ruefully. He expected no less from the man. He knew the direction Bacara’s taste in Jedi ran and it was distinctly less human than his own.

Bly’s answering grin said everything he thought about that himself. As if Cody could ever forget Aayla, the first person he recognized because they were married to one of his brothers.

“I didn’t like that one either but was told it should go on the list,” Cody admitted.

Bly struck Vode’riduur from the list. If he did so with the slightest bit of theatrics...well Ponds _was_ his brother after all.

Progress! If only they could get through the others as swiftly.

“Does Obi-Wan have an opinion?” Wolffe asked gruffly.

He knew Cody would take his ven’riduur’s preferences into consideration, but he also knew that could get lost with the rest of the Council involved.

“No. Obi-Wan said he will abide by whatever we choose,” Cody said.

“He spent half an hour trying to explain why it is completely unnecessary for him to have a title at all,” Bly explained. “He only backed down when we pointed out that this will set a precedent for the future. None of us are going to live forever after all, and who knows, Cody might actually want to _retire_ someday. So, we need these things sorted for future Vod’alore and their riduur’e too.”

No one was surprised by that. Obi-Wan hated extra attention for himself but he would accept it gracefully if told it was for someone else’s benefit. They turned their attention back to the remaining options on the list.

Alor’riduur

Vod’alor Consort

Alor’Consort 

“Alor’riduur is a bit literal, but it is accurate,” Jet pointed out after a few moments of them all quietly staring at the list.

“It also sticks with the convention of using Mando’a, which matches Vod’alor better than adding a basic word into it,” Stone said.

“But we use both, so it wouldn’t be _wrong_ to have a title that uses both. Especially for someone who is Vode by choice rather than blood,” Colt mused.

“But who’s to say that’ll be the case in the future?” Razor argued. “If we’re worried about precedent, then we need something that works for Obi-Wan _now_ but will also fit future Vod’alor riduur’e.” 

“Our culture is a mix of Mandalorian traditions, things we created for ourselves and things we picked up from others. A title that’s a mix of Mando’a and basic _would_ be suitable for that very reason,” Colt countered.

Cody agreed with Colt on that.

“That’s true. And we always tread the line between using our Mandalorian roots and establishing something that is uniquely our own,” Stone agreed.

“We could always make it Vod’alor’riduur, make sure there’s no question who it is, no matter the context!” Waxer suggested.

Cody sincerely hoped he was joking.

That suggestion was met with groans all around the table. The last thing they needed was _another_ option.

“No. Vod’alor’riduur is unnecessarily long and sounds incredibly pretentious. That’s not us,” Wolffe said firmly. 

“And it would be cumbersome to use in conversation,” Bacara added.

“As if it would ever even be _used_ in conversation!” Stone disagreed.

This was going to take a while.

SWSWSWSWSWSW

It was well after dark when Cody arrived home. He had been beginning to think that today’s Council meeting wouldn’t _end_ until the one in two days’ time _started_.

“I’m almost afraid to ask, darling,” Obi-Wan said by way of greeting. “I wasn’t sure how long you would be. I made soup earlier, so you would have something easy to reheat if you got in late.”

“Vor’e, cyare,” Cody said tiredly.

He would never understand why he often found council meetings more wearying than battle had ever been.

“Go sit. I’ll bring your food to you,” Obi-Wan said, gently nudging him towards their living room.

“You don’t have to do that,” The dark-haired man argued.

The redhead kissed his ven’riduur on the cheek and said, “I know. But I want to. You’ve had a long day.” After a brief pause, he shyly added, “And I like taking care of you.”

Cody felt such a swell of love for this man rise in him. He was so, so happy Obi-Wan had finally come home.

“Ni kar'tayl gar darasuum, Obi-Wan.”

His beloved smiled.

“Ni kar'tayl gar darasuum, Cody.”

It was only a few minutes before Obi-Wan joined him in the living room, carrying a bowl of soup and a glass of water on a tray. Cody gratefully took the tray and hungrily tucked into his meal. The Jedi filled him in on some ideas they had had for the Temple and its grounds as he ate. Once he was finished, he set his tray on the end table. They could worry about the dishes later.

“It took some time, but we _were_ able to make a decision,” Cody told him.

“And? What is my completely unnecessary title going to be?” Obi-Wan asked.

Cody rolled his eyes affectionately.

“You’ll only need to use it on a small number of formal occasions,” He assured. “But we decided on Alor’riduur.”

Obi-Wan nodded. It wasn’t a bad option. Some of the others that had been discussed that morning were certainly worse.

“I suppose it is necessary. For a few occasions at least,” He allowed.

Cody grinned.

“It could be worse, cyare. Waxer offered the additional suggestion of Vod’alor’riduur.”

“Waxer is no longer one of my favorites,” Obi-Wan declared with a huff.

Cody laughed as he pulled his beloved close.

“We’re getting married soon,” He said fondly.

Obi-Wan could feel Cody’s joy at that. He wished the other man was able to feel his own in return. He smiled as he tucked himself into Cody’s side and rested his head against his shoulder.

“Yes, we are.”

**Author's Note:**

> Mando'a:  
> Ven’riduur- fiance 
> 
> Alor’riduur- basically just squashing the words together for a meaning of leader's spouse. Super creative, I know...but it does the job!
> 
> Vor'e- Thank you
> 
> Cyare- beloved
> 
> Ni kar'tayl gar darasuum- I love you


End file.
